Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to wireless devices and more specifically it relates to a wireless device security system for preventing the unauthorized reading of wireless devices.
Description of the Related Art
Any discussion of the related art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such related art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
1. Wireless Devices and Readers.
Wireless communication technologies such as radio-frequency identification (RFID) and near field communication (NFC) utilize radio waves to wirelessly transfer data from a wireless device to a reader in a contactless manner.
There are various types of wireless devices in use today that utilize wireless communications such as RFID and NFC. Examples of wireless devices include but are not limited to proximity cards, passive cards, active cards, smart cards (with or without contacts), security cards, identification badges or identification cards, passports, payment devices, electronic devices and smartphones.
Smart cards are also sometimes referred to as chip cards or integrated circuit cards (ICC). Smart cards may or may not include contact pads for providing electrical connectivity with another device to provide a second path of communication in addition to wireless communication. Smart cards may not include contacts. Smart cards are useful for various types of applications including identification, authentication, data storage and application processing.
A reader may be comprised of various types of electronic devices adapted for receiving radio signals from wireless devices such as a passive reader or an active reader, wherein an active reader also transmits radio signals to be received by the wireless device.
2. Tags in Wireless Devices.
The wireless device includes a “tag” (a.k.a. transponder, RFID tag, NFC tag) that stores data and wirelessly communicates with the reader via radio-frequency electromagnetic fields in either a unidirectional communication manner or a bi-directional communication manner. Tags may also be comprised of a read/write configuration that are programmable by the reader.
Tags typically communicate with readers via low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF) or ultra-high frequency (UHF) signals. For example, LF signals are typically in the 120 kHZ-150 kHz band (e.g. 125 kHz or 134 kHz for LF RFID tags), HF signals are typically in the 3 MHz-30 MHz band (e.g. 13.56 MHz for HF RFID tags) and UHF signals are typically in the 300 MHz-3 GHz band (e.g. 433 MHz for UFH RFID tags).
A tag is comprised of an integrated circuit and an antenna connected to the integrated circuit. An active tag includes a battery to provide electrical power and a passive tag includes a capacitor to store energy received from the radio signal of the reader. The tag may be comprised of various tag technologies such as an RFID tag or an NFC tag.
The integrated circuit in the tag is for storing and processing information, modulating and demodulating a radio-frequency (RF) signal, collecting DC power from the reader signal and other functions. The integrated circuit includes memory to store various types of data (e.g. identification data, security access data, payment data). The integrated circuit also includes either a chip-wired logic or a programmed (or programmable) data processor for processing data received and to be sent.
The antenna in the tag is for receiving a radio signal from a reader and/or transmitting a radio signal to the reader. With a passive tag technology, the antenna also provides electrical power to the integrated circuit which does not include a battery via magnetic induction between the antenna and the reader located within each other's near field.
3. Types of RFID Technology.
There are three main types of RFID technology: active, semi-passive and passive. Active RFID tags utilize a battery to broadcast radio waves containing data. Semi-passive RFID tags utilize a smaller battery than active RFID tags to keep the RFID tag “awake” but still rely upon a reader to provide power for broadcasting radio waves. Passive RFID tags are completely reliant upon an external RFID reader to provide the power to broadcast radio waves containing the data. Active RFID tags can transmit radio waves that may be read at ranges of 300 feet or more. Passive RFID tags can transmit radio waves that may be read at ranges of 20 or more feet. Passive RFID tags are the most common RFID tag because of they are relatively inexpensive compared to active and semi-passive RFID tags.
Passive RFID tag systems have two main components: an RFID reader and an RFID tag. The RFID reader has a reader antenna that transmits radio waves that are received by an RFID antenna within the passive RFID tag. The radio waves received by the passive RFID tag are converted to electrical power and then used by the RFID tag to transmit radio waves containing data that are then detected by the RFID reader. The RFID reader then communicates the data received from the RFID tag via the radio waves to another device (e.g. computer) for processing.
4. Unauthorized Reading of Wireless Devices.
Unfortunately, RFID tags and NFC tags, particularly passive RFID tags, are susceptible to unauthorized reading (a.k.a. “skimming”) where an unauthorized reader communicates with the tag by merely being in close proximity to the tag. Important data such as credit card data, identity data and personal data may be lost to unscrupulous individuals via the unauthorized reading of wireless devices such as RFID credit cards. To make matters worse for users, tags within the wireless devices do not need to be physically seen to transmit the data contained on the tag so a smart card in a wallet can still be scanned by an unauthorized reader.
5. Conventional Solutions to Prevent Unauthorized Reading.
Recently, various shielding products have been produced to block radio waves from being received by and/or transmitted to the tags in wireless devices. The shielding products typically use a layer of metal that blocks the radio waves and/or detunes the tag. Examples of security products include shielded sleeves, shielded badge holders, shielded wallets, shield bags and other devices that include an electromagnetic shield that prevents or significantly reduces the ability of the tag to communicate with a reader unless the wireless device is removed from the shielding device. U.S. Pat. No. 6,121,544 to Petsinger titled “Electromagnetic Shield to Prevent Surreptitious Access to Contactless Smartcards” illustrates a solution that utilizes an electromagnetic shield constructed of a magnetic alloy to shield a contactless smart card from electric field.
While conventional shielding products are capable of preventing the unauthorized reading of wireless devices using HF tags and UHF tags, they are not as suitable for preventing the unauthorized reading of wireless devices using LF tags due to the amount of shielding material required to effectively block a LF reader. For example, the amount of shielding material required may either be cost prohibitive and/or not acceptable for usage in the particular application for various reasons (e.g. added weight, ergonomics, flexibility).
Because of the inherent problems with the related art, there is a need for a new and improved wireless device security system for preventing the unauthorized reading of wireless devices.